Sirtex has announced the expansion of its business in Latin America. Sirtex’s SIR-Spheres microspheres are now available to treat inoperable liver tumours in Brazil.
The first SIR-Spheres microspheres treatments took place in the first week of September at Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo. Sirtex received product approval from the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) for SIR-Spheres microspheres early in 2014.
“Over the last several years we have been meeting with healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities from Brazil to identify the market demands and understand the patient needs,” said Mike Mangano, president of Sirtex Medical.
“I am delighted to announce that we have performed the first SIR-Spheres microspheres treatments in Brazil. I am honoured to represent the entire multidisciplinary team at Sirio-Libanes and the University of Sao Paulo, as well as our colleagues at Sirtex who have worked so hard to make this therapy possible,” said Francisco Carnevale, chief of the Interventional Radiology section, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. “In the past, we were able to offer patients limited targeted liver treatments for cancer. The addition of SIR-Spheres microspheres is important as we evolve our patient treatment options. The peer-reviewed literature shows SIR-Spheres microspheres extend patient survival while maintaining a good quality of life.”
Frederico Costa, medical oncologist, Sirio-Libanes, added, “SIR-Spheres microspheres are another powerful weapon against liver tumours when integrated as part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan. Having this treatment available at Sirio-Libanes allows us to complement our systemic chemotherapy treatments and optimise patient outcomes.”
The announcement comes at a time when the America’s region is experiencing record growth, having recently announced that dose sales of SIR-Spheres microspheres grew a solid 22.5%, with more than 5,836 doses being supplied for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, a press release from the company says.
